August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson”
A Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation, CBS, Craig Anderson Productions, Inc.
August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama The Piano Lesson tells the tale of a family heirloom: an ornately carved piano which carries the history of the Charles family. As the prized possession gathers dust in the home of Berniece Charles (played by Alfre Woodard), her brother Boy Willie (Charles Dutton) dreams of using money from the piano’s sale to buy the land his family once worked as slaves. When Berniece refuses to sell, the real “piano lesson” begins: one which reminds all of us of what we receive from the past, enjoy in the present, and pass on to the next generation. With superb pacing and staging, director Lloyd Richards expands the stage play into an exquisite television presentation, consistent with the excellent record of achievement of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. For telling a simple yet inspiring story of family and legacy, a Peabody to Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS and Craig Anderson Productions, Inc., for The Piano Lesson.